Adjoining the US-19 expressway in southern West Virginia, this 23-acre woodland tract with commercial-grade utilities boasts high visibility, high accessibility, and unmatched proximity to principal tourist attractions. More than 19,000 motor vehicles pass daily, including more than 3,000 trucks. Two million tourists visit the region annually, vacationing at the National Scout Reserve and the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. The property shares utility infrastructure with the U.S. National Guard Armory and includes high-capacity water, sewerage, electric power, and priority road maintenance. Visitation is predicted to grow as the national park economy matures.

HIGHLIGHTS & ATTRIBUTES

• 23-acre tract (+/-)
• High expressway access
• High visibility from the expressway
• Commercial-grade utilities
• Priority maintained access
• Proximity to I-77, I-64
• Proximity to the National Park
• Proximity to National Scout Reserve
• 12 miles south of New River Gorge Bridge

LOCATION

Google Coordinates: 37.924353, -81.159861
Address: Wood Mountain Road, Glen Jean, WV 25846.  (No street address is assigned to properties without structures.)
Elevation Range: 1,714 to 1,979 feet above sea level

MINERAL RESOURCES

The owner’s deed says that the ownership is SURFACE ONLY. West Virginia is one of the states in the U.S. that has two ownership titles, those being SURFACE RIGHTS and MINERAL RIGHTS. The minerals and mineral rights have been excepted and reserved in the owner’s deed.

BOUNDARIES AND SURVEY

The property is being sold by the boundary and not by the acre.

UTILITIES

Water: W.Va. Water Co. (eight-inch line)
Electricity: American Electric Power (three-phase)
Natural Gas: Mountaineer Gas Co.
Internet: High-speed service available
Fire Service: Mount Hope and Oak Hill Fire Department
Cell: 5G coverage by several carriers
Sewer: White Oak Public Service District

ACCESS/FRONTAGE

The property is accessed by frontage on Wood Mountain Road (CR 19/36) and an additional strip of access land at the property’s northern boundary.

ZONING

Fayette County is subject to some zoning and subdivision regulations. All prospective buyers should consult the Fayette County Commission and the Fayette County Health Department for details regarding zoning, building codes, and installation of septic systems.

PROPERTY TYPE/USE SUMMARY

The property is mostly forestland with some open fields.

DEED and TAX INFORMATION

Deed Information: A portion of DB 340 Pg. 225
Fayette County, West Virginia
Acreage: 23 acres +/-

Real Estate Tax ID/Acreage/Taxes:
Fayette County (10), West Virginia
Plateau District (2)
Tax Map 37 Parcel 51; Class 3

2023 Real Estate Taxes: $279.78

SCHOOLS

Public & Private Schools

The property is located within the Fayette County School District. Public school students attend the multi-use campus at Oak Hill where primary, intermediate, and high schools and the county’s vocational school are located. Several private schools within the Fayette County School District operate in the region, and homeschool programs are supported.

Higher Education

West Virginia University and New River Community & Technical College maintain campuses at Beckley, 15 miles to the south. Concord University and Bluefield State College courses are offered at the nearby Irma Byrd Higher Education Center. Appalachian Bible College is a drive of approximately 10 minutes south at Bradley.

HEALTHCARE

The nearest hospital to the property, Plateau Medical Center at Oak Hill, is a four-mile drive with 25 beds and an emergency care unit. Nearby at Beckley, medical facilities include Raleigh General Hospital, with 300 beds, and Appalachian Regional Hospital, with 173 beds. They include emergency rooms and are both approximately 20 minutes away. A Veterans Administration Medical Center with 80 beds, including 30 long-term care beds, is also located at Beckley. Major state medical centers are found in Charleston and Morgantown, an hour and 2.5 hours from Glen Jean.

TRANSPORTATION

The property adjoins the US-19 expressway eight miles north of its junction with I-77 and I-64. More than 19,000 motor vehicles pass daily, including more than 3,000 trucks, while more than 31,000 vehicles use the interstates daily, including more than 12,000 trucks. Near Beckley, the nearest airport is a 25-minute drive. Yeager Airport at Charleston, a 60-minute drive, is West Virginia’s largest airport and is served by Delta, Spirit, United, and American. Its busiest domestic routes are Charlotte, Atlanta, Chicago, Orlando, and Washington. It is also home to the McLaughlin Air National Guard Base. Freight and Amtrak passenger rail service are provided to stations nearby at Prince and Thurmond, a 20-minute drive from the property.

SURROUNDING AREA

The property is located at Glen Jean, an unincorporated community in the heart of the New River Gorge region. Its economy is centered chiefly around the national park and outdoor recreation. The US-19 expressway runs north to south through Glen Jean, linking a series of municipalities, including the cities of Beckley, Oak Hill, and Mount Hope, and the Town of Fayetteville. An estimated 100,000 residents live in the region. The region may best be known as the home of the New River Gorge Bridge, until recently the world’s longest single-span arch bridge and one of the state’s leading tourist attractions.

Glen Jean

Glen Jean is a focal point for commercial access to the region. It is at the central entrance to the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve and the northern gate for the Summit Bechtel Family National Scouting Reserve. The National Park Service maintains its regional headquarters at Glen Jean, and the north entrance to the Summit Bechtel Reserve is located here. It is also the location of the Glen Jean Armed Forces Center. This 105,000-square-foot facility provides armory housing for four West Virginia National Guard units, the Southern West Virginia Military Entrance Processing Station, and a maintenance center for over-the-road and tracked military vehicles.

New River Gorge National Park and Preserve

The nation’s newest national park, the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, attracts more than three million visitors annually to the region. Two park visitor centers are 10 and 15 minutes from Glen Jean. Its best-known attraction, the New River Gorge Bridge, is a drive of approximately 15 minutes at Fayetteville. Hiking, biking, angling, hunting, kayaking, and camping are popular throughout the park, though it may best be known as a destination for rock climbing and whitewater rafting. The park is among the nation’s top destinations for both.

Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve

Less than a mile from the property, the 14,000-acre Bechtel Reserve, also known as “The Summit,” is a world-class outdoor recreation park that also hosts the quadrennial Boy Scout Jamboree and is home to one of five national high-adventure bases for the scouts. The 24th World Scout Jamboree welcomed more than 45,000 visitors in 2019. The 17th Interamerican Scout Jamboree was celebrated in 2023. The reserve is the home of the organization’s Paul R. Christen National High Adventure Base, the James C. Justice National Scout Camp, and the John D. Tickle National Training and Leadership Center.

Hunting Preserves

Two public hunting and fishing areas with a combined 10,000 acres of woodland are located within five miles of the property. Deer, bear, turkey, and squirrel are the principal game taken. The Plum Orchard Lake Wildlife Management Area includes 202-acre Plum Orchard Lake, a popular flatwater kayaking and fishing destination. The Beury Mountain Wildlife Management area conserves some of the most remote highland forests in the region. In addition to the two preserves, hunting in the national park is also permitted in season on more than 65,000 acres.

Outdoor Recreation Resorts

Seven outdoor adventure resorts are located near the property. All offer guided whitewater rafting tours on the New and Gauley rivers, and most include basecamps that accommodate cabins and camping and coordinate outdoor recreation adventures. Several offer canopy tours, zip lines, and adventure courses. West Virginia Adventures, which adjoins the property’s upper access road, is a renowned outfitter and guide company for whitewater rafting.

Historic Thurmond

Deep in the New River Gorge, tiny Thurmond is among the most visited locales in the national park. A quintessential ghost town with a population of five permanent residents, it includes a collection of historic buildings and a restored passenger station, which houses a seasonal park visitor center and is a functional Amtrak flag-stop on a Chicago-Washington-New York City line. Amtrak service is also provided at the nearby passenger station at Prince.

DRIVE TIMES

Though in a rural area, Glen Jean and the property are located near the center of the eastern U.S. The following mileage and drive time estimates are based on Google calculations.

LOCAL DESTINATIONS

0.8 miles to Summit Bechtel Reserve
3 miles to national park boundary
5 minutes to City of Oak Hill
5 minutes to City of Mount Hope
5 minutes to I-77, I-64
10 minutes to Town of Fayetteville
10 minutes to New River Gorge Bridge
15 minutes to City of Beckley
20 minutes to Town of Pax
30 minutes to Summersville Lake
30 minutes to Winterplace Ski Resort
35 minutes to Town of Summersville
50 minutes to City of Hinton
60 minutes to I-79
60 minutes to City of Charleston

REGIONAL U.S. DESTINATIONS

50 miles to Charleston, West Virginia
90 miles to Blacksburg, Virginia
100 miles to Huntington, West Virginia
130 miles to Clarksburg, West Virginia
160 miles to Morgantown, West Virginia
170 miles to Winston-Salem, North Carolina
200 miles to Charlottesville, Virginia
215 miles to Columbus, Ohio
215 miles to Charlotte, North Carolina
225 miles to Lexington, Kentucky
225 miles to Knoxville, Tennessee
230 miles to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
250 miles to Cincinnati, Ohio
260 miles to Richmond, Virginia
300 miles to Cleveland, Ohio
315 miles to Washington, D.C.
350 miles to Baltimore, Maryland
350 miles to Erie, Pennsylvania
450 miles to Atlanta, Georgia